FESTIVAL STAFF TEAM
Festival Director:
Anne Denzer
Volunteer & Business Administration:
Demelza Crook
Artistic Directors:
Holly Downes
Chris Stone
Michael Sollis
FESTIVAL BOARD MEMBERS (VOLUNTEERS)
Interested in Joining the Festival Board?
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The National Folk Festival Board is seeking new members to help guide the future of the Festival. We’re looking for people who love the Festival and want to contribute to its long-term success. Previous board experience is welcome but not essential.
We’re especially keen to hear from people with:
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Governance experience
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Financial or legal expertise
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Funding or grant writing knowledge
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Strong ties to the folk community
If that sounds like you, send a one-page pitch and your CV to president@folkfestival.org.au, please use the subject line "Board EOI".
President - Emma Cottam
Appointed to the Board: October 2023. Emma is a teacher and student hot air balloon pilot who moved to Canberra in 2020 from Western Australia. She has been attending folk festivals for many years and brings with her a network of connections from Australia and overseas as well as a deep love and connection to music of all kinds. Emma has a storied history with FolkWorld Inc., the organisation that delivers the Fairbridge Festival. Starting as a volunteer, across her time at the festival Emma ran social media, developed community art projects for children with the local First Nation group the Binjarep people, and was eventually the youngest board member in the organisation's history, where she remained on the board for six years. Emma plays the mandolin and the banjo and enjoys spending her time in the Session Bar, particularly when there is an Old Time Session happening!
Vice President - John Nicholls
Appointed to the Board: October 2022. John has been involved with festivals and events for over 15 years and has been volunteering with the venue management team at the NFF since 2005. Previous experience also includes Floriade, the Multicultural festival, Reconciliation Day, and other Canberra based events. John is the ICT Director at the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation and manages the strategic direction and operational delivery for IT services. John has extensive experience in corporate governance as a Director for the Australian Higher Education Associations Pty Ltd Board and as a business owner at Can Speak Canberra Speech Pathology.
Director – David Gilks
Appointed to the Board: October 2018. LLB (ANU), BEc (ANU) David is a manager with experience in strategic policy and operational delivery roles both in Australia and overseas. He is a folk musician, dancer and dance caller. He has participated in the Festival as a patron, volunteer and performer and was the Festival's Ticket Office Area Coordinator for four festivals (2009-12).
Director – Roy Volmari
Appointed to the Board: July 2024. Roy is a seasoned finance professional providing financial services to the private and public sectors for nearly 40 years before retiring in 2021. During his working career, Roy has been a Director and Company Secretary for numerous mid-sized companies, and has extensive experience in corporate governance, financial management, HR, and IT. Roy has had past experience in the delivery of events such as horticulture field days, and art shows. Roy has a love for music of all kinds and is looking forward to contributing to the success of The National Folk Festival.
Director – Hannah Pelka-Caven
Appointed to the Board: December 2024. B.Mus (UniMelb), Dip.Lang (UniMelb), J.D (UniMelb) Hannah is an experienced employment and industrial relations lawyer, and has advised and represented workers and employers in the Australian cultural arts and live performance sector for many years. Hannah is also an award-winning folk singer and composer, who has performed at folk festivals (including at the National Folk Festival) for over a decade, with her band The Raglins. After attending her first Nash as part of the Folk Alliance Youth Awards, she fell in love with the festival and is keen to ensure that the festival thrives. Hannah also serves on two other arts boards - Happy Haps Productions and Music Theatre Workshop.
Director – Zev Aviv
Appointed to the Board: December 2024. Zev Aviv is a personal trainer, interdisciplinary artist, history tour guide and podcaster. They grew up at the National Folk Festival and have been attending for around 35 years where they have been a festival MC, producer and forklift driver. As well as having board experience in the arts, they have produced events, managed artists and stayed up to see the sunrise in the session bar on multiple occasions. They are deeply committed to the festival, its teams and its patrons
Director – Stephen Fischer
Appointed to the Board: June 2025. Stephen has recently retired from his role as a consultant, where over the past 18 years he worked with a range of government departments to use technology solutions to improve business outcomes. His areas of expertise include governance, strategic planning, business analysis and ICT systems administration. Outside of work, he has served as treasurer for Canberra Youth Theatre and Canberra Rep Theatre, as well as multiple roles on other not-for-profit boards over the past 20 years.
Director – Fred Smith
Appointed to Board: October 2025. Fred Smith OAM, LLB (ANU), BEc (ANU) Songwriter, diplomat, author and raconteur, has had a long and happy association with the National Folk Festival. He has performed at over a dozen Nashes wearing a range of outfits including a seersucker suit, a dinner suit and a safari suit. He was a two times winner of the NFSA National Folk Recording Award, AFMA Solo Artist of the Year in 2022, ACT Artist of the Year in 2023, and more recently awarded and Order of Australia for services to (an improbable combination of) music and foreign affairs. He works at the foreign affairs department when he’s not playing music.
Director – Kirsty Greenwood
Appointed to the Board: October 2025. Kirsty Greenwood has been part of the folk festival community since she first discovered it at age 16, and has attended nearly every National Folk Festival in Australia since 1993. A madly keen dancer, you will most often find her at ceilidhs or contras, but she is also a caller, harpist, singer, a proud life member of the Melbourne Scottish Fiddle Club, and a passionate advocate for folk music and dance. Professionally, Kirsty has over 30 years’ experience leading not-for-profits, with expertise in governance, finance, grant writing, and event management. She gladly brings her love of folk and decades of community and leadership experience to the National Folk Festival Board.
Director – Ben Drysdale
Appointed to the Board: October 2025. Ben has been attending the National Folk Festival since 1999 and has contributed in many capacities over the years — as a street performer, volunteer MC, and billed act. A songwriter, contemporary folk artist, and educator, Ben has been active in the Australian music and arts community for over two decades. He brings extensive leadership experience as the Founding Co-CEO of Rebus Theatre, where he championed inclusive and socially engaged arts practice, and governance experience through his previous tenure on the Childers Group Committee. Ben is also the founder of Songwriting for Non-Songwriters, helping everyday people discover creative expression through music. Ben is passionate about creativity as a tool for connection, inclusion, and storytelling, and is dedicated to strengthening community through the folk arts.